'England can defend T20 title'

Former England Test cricketer and sports journalist Mike Selvey believes the defending Twenty20 champions can win the World Cup for a second consecutive time, and has potent replacements of last tournament's man of the match Kevin Pietersen.

London: Former England Test cricketer and sports journalist Mike Selvey believes the defending Twenty20 champions can win the World Cup for a second consecutive time, and has potent replacements of last tournament's man of the match Kevin Pietersen.

"What plans England have this time we have yet to see fully, although we can be certain they do not involve Kevin Pietersen, for which, undeniably, they will be significantly the weaker," Selvey wrote in his column for the Guardian.

"But in Kieswetter and Alex Hales they have power up front, while Luke Wright may have a role to finish the powerplays. There are young thunderbloods in Jonny Bairstow and Buttler and in Eoin Morgan, one of the most innovative and calculating batsmen in the business," he added.

"There is no left-arm pace man this time but Jade Dernbach, along with Graeme Swann, could prove to be one of the tournaments most valuable bowlers," he further wrote.

Selvey wrote: "Perhaps the biggest decision will be whether it is to be Steven Finn's pace, profligate as it can be, or Tim Bresnan's reliability and batting that makes the cut. Last time Australia tried out-and-out pace, reached the final and then came unstuck against Kieswetter and Pietersen."